Fashion Blogger BryanBoy

Advances in the internet are changing fashion coverage and reporting as we’ve known it. Originally, a journalist’s goal was to cover the news with a keen objective lens.  Sure the fashion editors and reporters have always been critical and concise in their reviews, but bias in reporting remains the elephant in the room concerning “objective” reviews and the integrity of fashion journalism.

With the birth of blogging -this initially rebellious yet democratic nature of fashion writing- traditional fashion journalism was turned upside-down.  Anyone can now report and write their personal opinions about any show after seeing them on online and post it on the internet, accessible to all.  Blogging both births and blesses bias. Mass media and democratization of the internet allows anyone the right to blog about their opinion even if the most respected people in the industry disagree. If all the reviews of the latest Givenchy collection are praised, a blogger can pan the collection and let everyone know why via the internet.

Bloggers are by nature biased. The question becomes how does their bias transforms and mature. If a blogger is given free clothing from a fashion houses this can taint her personal opinion about the clothing.  Once a famous blogger is given front row tickets to a fashion show, flown from the middle of nowhere to a big city like Paris or New York and even beating the original fashion journalist for the front row seat, how can she write an objective review? Bloggers sitting front row in such a situation inevitably hinder their initial goal of having an independent voice.  What they might have called interesting details but overall a bad collection, becomes candy coated reviews that will not only please the designers who invited them, but promote themselves and their blogs, and ensure that next year they will have another front row seat.

Bloggers broke the mold of having only high-end fashion journalists bestow the magic wand of what’s “in” and what’s “out”.  Fashion blogging began as a rebellious way in which anyone could write anything about any fashion designers or collections.  The magic and successful equation is to include both the fashion bloggers along with the experienced and more educated reporters to enhance and create a more fruitful and informed review.